Cephalopods of the World 63 Sepia aculeata Van Hasselt, 1835 (in Férussac and d’Orbigny, 1834–1848) Fig. 112; Plate II, 12–14 Sepia aculeata Van Hasselt, 1835, pl. 5 bis (in Férussac and d’Orbigny 1834–1848), Histoire naturelle générale et particulière des Céphalopodes Acétabuliferes vivants et fossiles [type locality: Java]. Frequent Synonyms: Sepia indica d’Orbigny, 1848. Misidentifications: None. FAO Names: En – Needle cuttlefish; Fr – Seiche aiguille; Sp – Sepia de aguja. dorsal view ventral view dorsal view tentacular club cuttlebone (illustrations: K. Hollis) Fig. 112 Sepia aculeata Diagnostic Features: Mantle oblong. Male and female arm lengths subequal. Hectocotylus present on left ventral arm: 3 rows of normal size suckers proximally, 5 or 6 rows of reduced suckers medially, then normal size suckers to arm tip. Suckers of hectocotylus in the 2 dorsal series are much smaller than those in the 2 ventral series; suckers in both dorsal and ventral series displaced laterally, with gap between; arm with deep median furrow in adults. Club sucker-bearing surface convex; males with 10 to 12, females with 13 or 14 club suckers in transverse rows; all club suckers of similar, minute, size. Dorsal and ventral protective membranes not joined at base of club, extend proximal to carpus along stalk. Buccal membrane with a few minute suckers. Cuttlebone with distinct dorsal median and lateral ribs. Chitin present as wide glaze-like patch posteriorly; a narrow chitinous rim borders lateral margins of cuttlebone. Spine long, pointed, without keel. Anterior striae are inverted U-shape. Inner cone limbs are narrow anteriorly, broaden posteriorly, then are raised into a thick, round ledge; outer cone narrow anteriorly, broadens posteriorly. Dorsal mantle with longitudinal row of up to 8 ridge-like papillae and associated, numerous, large papillae along each side, adjacent to base of each fin. Head and arms with scattered, small tubercles. Colour of preserved specimens pale brownish. Dorsal mantle has white blotches, spots or patches, or it has a transverse saddle mark, or a fine, darkly pigmented, transverse reticulate pattern. Fins with pale reflective line along base. Live animals are light brown. Arms I to III have a longitudinal orange-red pigmented stripe along their aboral surfaces. Dorsal mantle with pale transverse saddle mark and pattern of bold, broad, zebra stripes during the spawning season; 3 circular, white patches occur mid-dorsally within transverse saddle mark; posteriormost patch composed of a ring of white spots. Size: Maximum mantle length 230 mm; weight 1.3 kg. 64 FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes No. 4, Vol. 1 Geographical Distribution: Indo-Pacific: India (Arabian Sea north to off the Gulf of Kutch) to the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand, South China Sea, Taiwan Province of China, East China Sea, Indonesia and possibly the Timor Sea (Fig. 113). Habitat and Biology: Sepia aculeata is a demersal, neritic species that occurs to 60 m depth. Along the Indian coasts maturing and mature animals are present throughout the year, which indicates a prolonged spawning and breeding season; activity peaks occur from January to April and in the second half of the year in the eastern waters, and in April, July and December in the southwestern waters, off Cochin. In the Hong Kong area, a prespawning concentration occurs on the continental shelf, followed by movement inshore to spawn at depths of 5 to 20 m from March to May at water temperatures of 18° to 24°C. In the Gulf of Thailand, spawning occurs all year at depths of 10 to –– 200 m ? 50 m, with March to April and July to September the peak months. Smallest mature individuals in this Fig. 113 Sepia aculeata region and in the Bay of Bengal (eastern Indian Ocean) were found at 70 mm mantle length, while size Known distribution at 50% maturity varies between 75 and 100 mm for males and 100 and 120 mm for females, respectively. In the Arabian Sea (western Indian Ocean) the size at 50% maturity is a little higher, i.e. over 120 and 130 mm for males and females, respectively. Growth rates are similar in females and males and the sex ratio is 1:1. Commercially caught animals from the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea range between 60 and 130 mm mantle length, those caught from the east coast of India range between 50 and 190 mm and on the west coast females of 200 mm mantle length also are captured. Interest to Fisheries: This species is the thirdmost important commercial cuttlefish around Hong Kong where it is caught with setnets and seines during the spawning season. It is also one of the most important commercial cuttlefish in southwest India, where is mainly caught by trawl, with peak landings in October and November. The species is fished commercially in southern China, Taiwan Province of China, Sri Lanka and Thailand, where it is caught by otter trawl, pair trawl, squid light-lures, traps and push nets. Captures by traps in Thai waters are most abundant in January and February, when most animals are fully mature and females are predominantly caught. Local Names: CHINA: Jam Mak Yue; JAPAN: Ami-mom-nkouika. Literature: Adam and Rees (1966), Silas et al. (1986), Siraimeetan (1990), Chotiyaputta (1993), Rao et al. (1993), Chantawong and Suksawat (1997), Chotiyaputta and Yamrungreung (1998), Nateewathana (1999). Cephalopods of the World 65 Sepia andreana Steenstrup, 1875 Fig. 114 Sepia andreana Steenstrup, 1875, Danske Videnskabernes Selskabs Skrifter, 5 Raekke, Naturvidenskabelig og Mathematisk, 10(7): 473 [type locality: Japan, Hakodate]. Frequent Synonyms: None. Misidentifications: Sepia kobiensis Hoyle, 1885. FAO Names: En – Andrea cuttlefish; Fr –Seiche andreana; Sp – Sepia andreana. (after Voss, 1963) (illustration: A. Reid) dorsal view ventral view (illustration: K. Hollis) head of male tentacular club cuttlebone (after Okutani, 1995) (illustration: A. Reid) dorsal view Fig. 114 Sepia andreana Diagnostic Features: Mantle oblong; dorsal anterior margin triangular, acute; ventral mantle margin emarginate. Fins narrow, end in small, auriculate lobes posteriorly, with a small V-shape interstice where posterior spine is located. Male arms II greatly elongate, 3 times longer than other arms (except in young specimens), and bluntly rounded distally, not tapered. Female arm lengths subequal. Arm sucker arrangement differs between sexes. In males, sucker rows on modified arms II tetraserial on proximal third, biserial distally, becoming rudimentary and sparse at tips; arms I and III tetraserial proximally, biserial only on extreme distal arm tips; arms IV suckers tetraserial. In females, suckers on arms I tetraserial proximally, biserial on slightly expanded distal tips; arms II and III tetraserial proximally, distal third with biserial suckers, arms IV suckers tetraserial; female distal biserial suckers minute, displaced laterally, with gap between, and with distinct medial gap between rows. Hectocotylus present on left ventral arm: 10 rows of normal size suckers proximally, distal half of arm with rudimentary suckers on swollen peduncular bases. Club crescent-shaped, sucker-bearing surface convex with 5 or 6 suckers in transverse rows; suckers differ in size: 4 or 5 slightly enlarged suckers in longitudinal series towards posterior end of club. Swimming keel of club extends proximally slightly beyond carpus; dorsal and ventral protective membranes not joined at base of club but fused to tentacular stalk, terminate at posterior end of carpus. Dorsal membrane forms deep cleft at junction with stalk. Buccal membrane without suckers; in females extends ventrally with 2 spermathecae. Cuttlebone outline lanceolate; dorsal median rib indistinct; spine straight; striated zone and last loculus convex; sulcus shallow, narrow, extends entire length of cuttlebone. Anterior striae shallow m-shape; inner cone narrow, U-shape; outer cone limbs are expanded posteriorly into 2 short ‘wings’, directed ventrally, to form a recurved cup-like structure. Dorsal mantle with a longitudinal row of approximately 6 ridge-like papillae along each side, adjacent to base of each fin. Colour: Pale brownish. Arms II have oblique bands of chromatophores, arms I to III have a longitudinal orange-red pigmented stripe along their aboral surfaces. Dorsal mantle has yellow spots and chromatophores concentrated medially above cuttlebone. Ventral mantle pale with a narrow, longitudinal, iridescent band on each side adjacent to fins. 66 FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes No. 4, Vol. 1 Size: Up to 120 mm mantle length, 200 g total weight. Geographical Distribution: Western Pacific: Japan (Pacific coasts of southern Hokkaido, Tsugaru Strait, northern and central Honshu), Japan Sea, Yellow Sea, along south China coast, South China and East China Seas to northern Philippines. (Fig. 115). Habitat and Biology: Depth to 50 m. This demersal species occurs in coastal waters. In the Yellow Sea the spawning season is very long, with two spawning peaks, one in spring and one in autumn, the main spawning occurring in March and April. It feeds on fishes and small crustaceans. Interest to Fisheries: Taken as bycatch in trawl and setnet fisheries. It consistently supports a fishery in the Yellow Sea. Remarks: Sepia andreana may be confused with S. kobiensis Hoyle, 1885. Mature male S. andreana can be distinguished by the greatly elongate second –– 200 m arm pair, with biserial, rather than tetraserial, suckers on the distal half. All arms are of similar length in S. kobiensis and suckers on all arms are tetraserial. Fig. 115 Sepia andreana The hectocotylus sucker arrangement differs between Known distribution the two species: Sepia andreana has 10 proximal rows of normal size suckers, and the remainder of the arm has rudimentary suckers on swollen peduncular bases; Sepia kobiensis has 6 to 12 series of normal suckers proximally, 7 to 10 series medially are reduced, with those on the distal remainder of the arm normal in size. The club suckers differ only slightly in size in S. kobiensis, while in S.